I've hit some really deep pot holes on the freeway that would make things fall in the bus and I would use that as a test for my old tires-- if the tires could take that kind of punishment they must still be good! Like I said, I finally bought new ones after 12 years. My old tires were Firestone HP3000 which were top of the line back then and I think that is why they lasted as long as they did.

Big difference in a tire that has never been mounted than one that has and has been exposed to the elements Don

It is all in the compound of a tire the tubeless tires of today are mostly a synthetic compound as the old tube type were mostly rubber

Clifford, if you are saying a tire stored outside, exposed to the elements and ozone all that other crap, I suppose so. But you know and I know, age is age. They are going to break down one way or the other, it is just a rule of life.

As for compounds? Comments about compounds and a buyer having a choice iI don't agree with and here is why. If you want tires you get what the tire companies supply. The compounds used for our tires are a blend to give us all the characteristics we need for safety, including long life, traction, strength, tread wear, etc.

Truck and bus tires with a 6 year life are perfectly fine for the application because commercial users will wear out the tread every couple of years so a life span of XX years is not that important.

Now as for our needs, recreational bus owners. We can probably get RV tires designed for long life casings, but something else will be given up because nothing is free. We might have to sacrifice ride or traction or noise level or something else to get a tire that lasts 10 years instead of 6 or 7.

And you are correct about the Michelins being expensive, they were horrible back in 2010 when I switched over to Firestone. The Firestones will last okay I am sure of it, the ride is not all that good, but age will get this set in the end, just like the last. Over two years old now, and they have less than 15K ... Thank Big Oil for that.

Well i have a set of Firestones on the Eagle that the code say that they are 10 years old and they look like the just were put on. I plan on running them until they POP lol but that's me They never see the light of day unless they are turning round and round and when parked they always have something under them.

Our oldest is a engineer at Michelin in Ardmore he couldn't even get me a deal lol he was Dayton for years in OKC till Bridgestone closed that plant there I got deals

good luck

My kid is a retired cop, and he never fixed a ticket for me, so I know what you are saying. He did however, eat his fair share of donuts out of my kitchen. That was a bum deal on Dayton, transfered all the jobs to Mexico, and to make matters worse, held out severance payments to the displaced American workers, until they trained the Mexicans. Nice guys.

Well i have a set of Firestones on the Eagle that the code say that they are 10 years old and they look like the just were put on. I plan on running them until they POP lol but that's me They never see the light of day unless they are turning round and round and when parked they always have something under them.

Never a dull day on BCM .... That is not smart. It will rise up and bite you in the ____ one of these days.

One blowout and you might be thinking new tires are cheaper than the repair bill for the blowout damage. You can potentially do a lot of damage depending on how the tire failed.

My tires except the steers are from 2006. I currently plan to run them through the 2013 season and probably replace in 2014. I will mostly likely go used for the tags and maybe drives too if the deal is good enough.

You quickly came to mind this morning when I was writing my webpage. I think it was something like this: "When I am around you, I feel more intellectually challenged. Thank you for that. When I am around you I come alive, feel inspired, and have fun. You have that uncanny characteristic that just naturally seems to bring about the best in people; those who you come in contact with definitely are rewarded by your presence. Thanks for having such a great impact on me."

I am in the same category as Eagle Andy. I run my tires as long as there is tread and they are not weather checked. The Bridgestones on our 4106 were 15 years old before I took them off, when I noticed there was some weather checking between the tread but not on the sidewalls. The Michelins on the front of our MC 8 are dated 508, so I guess they are 14 years old. No weather checking anywhere. BUT, my wife read the article in the Family Motor Coach Magazine about tires recently and says they have to go before we start traveling next spring. Lots of tread left, so if she agrees, they will be going on the tag since there is less weight there. She may not go along with that idea. Old habits are hard to change.